Pilot License
 

Thinking about getting one. Anybody got one?

Don't have one but in my younger days I did take flying lessons.

The minimum requirements for a private pilot's license in the USA (don't know South Africa's requirements) is:

Third Class Medical Certificate
Minimum of 40 logged flight hours
Pass a written, oral, and practical test.

That is pretty much a universeal requirement. Except that one need 45 logged flight hours here in South Africa. Looking for a flight school now.

When I have the $, I'm considering the purchase of an ultralight. A standard driver's license is sufficient for one of those. You're not much danger to anyone in something that small (other than yourself).

I'm kind of interested in the closed-cockpit models. If I ever have $80,000 burning a hole in my pocket, I might go and get a nice one :D

lol ktsnake- 80,000 dollars! jeez

my best friend andy has 7 hours left and then the test- and then he'll have his license... he's in the army and is thinking about doing commercial airline stuff but go for it!! its awesome flying around with him

my dad's best friend has his too

What are the different categories of pilot licenses?

Quoting the Federal Aviation Regs (FAR 61.5) :

Sec. 61.5 - Certificates and ratings issued under this part.

(a) The following certificates are issued under this part to an applicant who satisfactorily accomplishes the training and certification requirements for the certificate sought:

(1) Pilot certificates --

(i) Student pilot.
(ii) Recreational pilot.
(iii) Private pilot.
(iv) Commercial pilot.
(v) Airline transport pilot.

(2) Flight instructor certificates.

(3) Ground instructor certificates.

(b) The following ratings are placed on a pilot certificate (other than student pilot) when an applicant satisfactorily accomplishes the training and certification requirements for the rating sought:

(1) Aircraft category ratings --

(i) Airplane.
(ii) Rotorcraft.
(iii) Glider.
(iv) Lighter-than-air.
(v) Powered-lift.

(2) Airplane class ratings --

(i) Single-engine land.
(ii) Multiengine land.
(iii) Single-engine sea.
(iv) Multiengine sea.

(3) Rotorcraft class ratings --

(i) Helicopter.
(ii) Gyroplane.

(4) Lighter-than-air class ratings --

(i) Airship.
(ii) Balloon.

(5) Aircraft type ratings --

(i) Large aircraft other than lighter-than-air.
(ii) Turbojet-powered airplanes.
(iii) Other aircraft type ratings specified by the Administrator through the aircraft type certification procedures.

(6) Instrument ratings (on private and commercial pilot certificates only) --

(i) Instrument -- Airplane.
(ii) Instrument -- Helicopter.

(iii) Instrument -- Powered-lift.

(c) The following ratings are placed on a flight instructor certificate when an applicant satisfactorily accomplishes the training and certification requirements for the rating sought:

(1) Aircraft category ratings --

(i) Airplane.
(ii) Rotorcraft.
(iii) Glider.
(iv) Powered-lift.

(2) Airplane class ratings --

(i) Single-engine.
(ii) Multiengine.

(3) Rotorcraft class ratings --

(i) Helicopter.
(ii) Gyroplane.

(4) Instrument ratings --

(i) Instrument -- Airplane.
(ii) Instrument -- Helicopter.
(iii) Instrument -- Powered-lift.

(d) The following ratings are placed on a ground instructor certificate when an applicant satisfactorily accomplishes the training and certification requirements for the rating sought:

(1) Basic.
(2) Advanced.
(3) Instrument.

For example, John Travolta holds an Airline Transport Pilot license and has a type rating for the Boeing 747-400, Boeing 707, Gulfstream G-IV and a few others. He owns a Boeing 707-138B painted in the 1960s colors of QANTAS Australian Airlines. (In case you're wondering, QANTAS is actually an acronym: Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Service.)

$80,000?!?!? Try about $200,000 for a brand new Cessna 172. (You can thank the personal injury attorneys for nearly suing the general aviation industry out of existence.) Used aircraft can be found for much less, but like a used car, they can wind up becoming high-maintenance 'hangar queens'.

Many airplane owners have resorted to 'fractional ownership' or 'frax', in which you purchase an ownership share in an aircraft entitling you to a guaranteed number of flight hours on the aircraft each year. Each fractional owner also pays a share of the maintenance and hangaring of the aircraft. It's pretty popular now with corporate aircraft, but it's gaining in popularity with the rest of the general aviation community.

Don't blame attorneys for the problems of the world, they force these manufacturers to really make safety a priority. That's a subject for another thread though:D

I was actually considering an ultralight type aircraft. There was an article in pop sci about 'em a few months back and it kind of caught my interest. From my very limited exposure to that area -- and by some of the things I've been reading in the business section of the Daily Oklahoman regarding the expansion of small airports, I figured that the cost of ownership was becoming more attainable for normal folks.

Sounds fun though. Fractional ownership actually sounds like a decent idea though. Maybe I'll be able to look into that in 10 years or so.

Ultralights are fun to fly, and they'll take off and land using a minimal amount of runway (or grass field or dry lakebed).

If you consider buying an ultralight, be sure and get a BRS (Ballistic Recovery System - website: http://brsparachutes.com/) emergency parachute. It has saved many a ultralight pilot's life. I used to work for the company that made the rocket motors that are used in the deployment of BRS chutes.

Ultralights are cool. My dad had one (open cockpit) when I was growing up. If you're mechanically inclined, you can build one from a kit.

I second the parachute notion, by the way. My dad crashed his into a barn on my 1st day of 1st grade. He didn't have a parachute, but he was lucky that he was belted in, and only ended up with some cuts and bruises (and a very much broken plane)